The present invention relates to padding for the lower extremity.
A heel pad is disclosed in FIG. 10 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,490, invented by the present applicant. Although the heel pad operates satisfactorily in covering the heel to facilitate wrapping of wadding around the heel, such that it is not necessary to wrap the wadding thick in front and thin in back due to the radius of the ankle, it is desirable to provide a heel padding which is adjustable to various sizes of the foot in order to eliminate inventory of the heel pads for different sizes of feet.
A cast should adapt closely to the extremity being immobilized to eliminate motion, and allow bones and/or ligaments to heal. The two bony prominences at the ankle are the fibular malleolus laterally and the tibial malleolus medially. They are covered laterally and medially, and both are covered posteriorly, only by a thin layer of subcutaneous fat and skin. Therefore, they should be well padded. Presently, the area is wrapped circumferentially with sheet wadding, and then a cast is formed around the malleoli. The depressions behind the malleoli swell as the result of distal leg, ankle, or foot trauma, and when the swelling subsides, the cast loosens. It is desirable to solve this problem.